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Opening Gambit as the Campaigns Begin
September 1, 2009
You probably don't know my name, but that's a good thing.
Some known names have already begun to declare their candidacies for the U.S. Senate seat that will open up next year in Illinois.
Trouble is, while these candidates' names are known, so is their baggage. But because Illinois has become a laughingstock - known as much for its corrupt politics as it is for its glittering jewel on the lake and the abundant corn and soy of its heartland - the people of Illinois can ill afford to keep lugging that baggage around.
When Barack Obama won the seat, it was proof that Illinois' political machine could be beat. But that turned out to be short-lived when Roland Burris was appointed to fill the seat by Rod Blagojevich, who was operating under the cloud of corruption that has hung over Illinois politics for too long.
Now the other Democratic candidates in the race are career politicians and others who are directly or indirectly under that cloud. And that's why I, an independent Democrat and lawyer with real-world experience, have decided to enter the race.
Practicing law in Chicago for nearly 20 years has given me knowledge of banking regulations, interstate commerce, telecommunications and a host of other important public issues. I have also defended employees of a small Chicago auto-parts business whose insurance company refused to pay valid health-care claims - and won. I have advocated for a special-needs child whose educational needs weren't being met by Chicago Public Schools - and won.
Prior to my legal career I worked on Capitol Hill for Congressman Jim Moody and for the Wisconsin Senate Judiciary and Consumer Affairs Committee in Madison, where I drafted legislation to curb ATM fees. The bill went nowhere - and it was a sobering lesson in how a lobby can kill legislation in its tracks.
In short, my real-world experience has given me a clear and multifaceted understanding of how politics impacts our everyday lives, our communities and the economy.
One of the first things that voters and the media consider in a Senate race, though, is whether a candidate has held elective office. Up front and straight on: I have never held elective office, I'm not a career politician - and these are advantages, not obstacles to be overcome.
I don't have allegiances to the special interests that fuel career politicians' endless pursuit of money, power and influence. I can represent the people of Illinois and nobody else. I'm not the product of a political machine. I'm not part of what's broken.
It's a fact that some of our most distinguished senators have not been career politicians, and the first elective office they ever held was in the U.S. Senate. The list includes Robert and Ted Kennedy, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Herb Kohl of Wisconsin, Paul Wellstone and Al Franken of Minnesota and Hillary Clinton, to name a few.
The Senate is a deliberative body that in many ways is the conscience of our democracy, and its members bring different kinds of credible and valuable experience to the office. It has been said that what a freshman senator needs most is intelligence, a readiness to learn, character and judgment. I bring all of these qualities to my candidacy - and to the voters.
I respect those with long political careers who have served their constituents and our state well. But we have too many career politicians in office - and they tend to try to convince us, in the span of a sound bite, that they have quick answers for every problem.
The reality is that most of our problems are complex. We need people in government to work with the best experts in order to make the best policies. Often career politicians don't listen to those who are best informed but rather to those who throw the most money at them.
Given the dire state of the economy and the bitter national shouting match over health-care reform, it's clear that we need new approaches to our country's most urgent problems. Those who can best offer fresh ideas are those who haven't been associated with what has brought us to the verge of systemic collapse.
For example, as senator I will address the pressing issue of how we consume energy by introducing legislation for a telecommute tax credit. This credit would give employers tax breaks for allowing employees who can do their jobs from home to telecommute full or part time.
As the campaign heats up, you'll hear more of my ideas and be able to judge how my real-world experience stacks up next to what my opponents have to offer.
For now, though, just remember my name.
